Hidden Talents
by Kristin Chenoweth Love
Summary: Some people have secrets, and some people also have hidden talents. Mrs. Lovett & Sweeney bond over music one night. Oneshot.


The night started off as always; it was dark and dreary, with no color but gray and black to paint the colors of the stormy sky. Thunder would clap occasionally, and rain soon was heard pattering on the window pane. Mrs. Lovett heard this sound and grabbed an old metal bucket from the table and put it on the floor, right under the spot where rain was surely about to start leaking through the ceiling. She sighed and stood up, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked around her empty bedroom. It wasn't much, just a small, dark room with a little bed, a bureau and a mirror on the wall. She didn't have many personal items either, for she just didn't have the money for it, but one thing she did have was an old piano in the corner. It was dusty; she sometimes went months without playing it, but it was in wonderful condition. It was left behind by her late husband, Albert; probably the only valuable thing he'd ever owned.

She walked over to it and lightly ran her fingers along the smooth piano keys, almost worried that it would break due to the years she had spent ignoring it, but it held up pretty well. She cautiously sat down on the bench and listened to it creak beneath her. She lifted her hands onto it and set her fingers into the proper position, and played a minor scale, her ears ringing at the wonderful noise. She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply, taking in the lovely noise. Her fingers began to dance along the keys and she started to play a tune that seemed so familiar, yet so distant. Most likely a lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was a little girl. She opened her eyes and she stared at the keys, as her fingers began to move and play another familiar intro.

Her lips parted and she sang, in a hushed tone, "_Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me..." _She paused a moment, wondering if perhaps she was too loud. She heard nothing, and continued. "_I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see." _She pressed her lips together firmly and stopped playing, and was startled to hear the wood creaking under someone's footsteps behind her.

She turned around and was instantly greeted by the cold, burning eyes of Sweeney Todd. She gasped and held her hand to her heart, standing up quickly, as if ashamed of what he had caught her doing. "...I-I didn't see ye' standin' there Mista' T," she stammered, as he stood in front of her, motionless. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her or past her, and decided to stay quiet until he said something.

There was a long silence, so unbearing, that Mrs. Lovett had to break it. "I'm sorry love-I'll get ye' that tea right now," she said, suddenly remembering him telling her to fetch him a cup over twenty minutes ago. So that was it, he came up here to make her feel bad about not having his tea ready. How childish. She began to walk towards him and hoped that he would move over a bit, seeing as he was blocking the doorway. He suddenly moved towards her and grabbed her arm in a tight grip and led her back over to the piano. She let out a small gasp as he grabbed her shoulders and violently sat her down and stood behind her. She sat still and did nothing, not sure of what it was he wanted her to do.

"Continue playing," he muttered in her ear. Her eyes widened a little. So he had heard her singing-how embarrassing.

"Mista' T, I wasn't playin' anything good, I was jus'-"

"Continue... _playing,"_ he hissed in her ear, sending a chill up her spine. "Now."

She reluctantly brought her fingers back onto the piano keys, and picked up where she had left off. She didn't have any music in front of her; she had played this song so many times she had it etched in her mind and was playing from memory. She stayed quiet and swallowed hard, getting a bit intimidated at how he was standing behind her, almost as if he was grading her on her performance.

"And sing."

She took a deep breath and sang quietly, hearing her voice shake. "_T'was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved._" She quietly cleared her throat, and was surprised to hear a different voice finish the rest of the verse.

"_How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed_..."

Mrs. Lovett looked up, stunned, at the voice that had come out of the man behind her. It was nice; very soft and low, yet very solid. This was very unexpected, but extremely pleasant. She continued with him, and he dropped down a third, creating incredible harmony between the two.

"_Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. 'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far," _Mrs. Lovett paused a minute, looking up at Sweeney and making eye contact with him. And for the first time, it seemed as if he was looking at her, and not through her. "_And grace will lead me home..."_

Mrs. Lovett slowly took her fingers off the piano keys and took a deep breath, stunned as to what had just happened. Then, a small smile spread over her lips. "Oh, Mista' T, that was beauti-" She turned around and stopped talking, only to realize she was now talking to herself. The room was empty except for her; Sweeney had left just as quickly as he had entered. She sighed and sat quietly by herself, her hands folded in her lap, eyes down towards the floor. She had stopped playing but she could still hear the light music playing in her head, their two voices becoming one as they harmonized. It was beautiful. _They _were beautiful.

_The end._

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed it! One note though; please understand that I write fanfics for fun. I'm asking you kindly, don't give me that, "Oh that's so unrealistic! He would never ever do that! How terribly OOC. HUZZAH!" bull. Remember, this is _for fun. _You can tell me what you honestly thought without being rude about it. ;-) 


End file.
